Brooke Burns has worked as an actress, host and TV personality in the entertainment industry since she was 18 years old. Most recently, she was nominated for an Emmy Award® for her work as the host of the hit series “The Chase,” GSN’s speed trivia game show that has attracted nearly 20 million viewers since its premiere in August 2013. This marks her fourth starring role as Maggie in the “Gourmet Detective” original movie franchise for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
A trained ballerina from age two, she showed great promise as a professional ballet dancer by the time she was a teenager. Burns, a Dallas native, and her family moved to Romania when she was 12 and she had the opportunity to study with the Romanian Opera Ballet. Her dance career abruptly ended at age 15, when she badly damaged her knee in a skiing accident. The following year, supporting her love of travel, she moved to Europe modeling in Paris, Milan and Munich. But her effervescent personality is what caught the attention of television and film producers alike.
Shortly after her move to Los Angeles to pursue acting, Burns landed her first television role on “Ally McBeal.” In her first feature, the Farrelly brothers are said to have seen a disarming and beguiling sense of humor in Burns. They created a tailor-written role for her in the 2001 film Shallow Hal, remarking in her audition that she was the “prettiest dorky girl” they'd ever met. Burns has also appeared on “Baywatch,” “Just Shoot Me,” “CSI: Miami,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “Pepper Dennis” and “Melrose Place,” among others.
After the arrival of her first child, Burns segued into the world of television hosting with instant success. At the age of 23, she hosted NBC's “Dog Eat Dog,” for which she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award, and hosted ABC's “You Deserve It” with The Bachelor's Chris Harrison. She also hosted TruTV’s “Motor City Masters,” a competition show for automotive designers.
In addition to her television career, after breaking her neck in 2005 with a miraculous 100% recovery, Burns donates her time to LRO, a program that gives back to people who have spinal cord injuries. In her free time Burns enjoys reading, hiking, stand-up paddling and road trips.
She currently resides with her husband and three girls in a suburb of Los Angeles
